Civil Compensation
by Damned Lolita
Summary: Because after everything Tony's ever been through, he needs the comfort. Sap, fluff, and sweetness. Guaranteed to taste like diabetes!


(Oh yeah. Avengers ficlets. This, and that giant-ass motherfucker I was talking about, ficwise? This is what I've been doin'.

Quick rant time, since it explains why I wrote these-

Fuck you, Civil War.

There, I said it. God, the occasional good moments were totally ruined by the fact that Tony got the Nazi Ball shoved so far up his ass it must've fallen out of his mouth on occasion, people somehow forgot Reed making an awesome speech on why registration for supers was a horrible, horrible idea, and Steve married the Idiot Ball, along with the sides being chosen almost arbitarily. Seriously, it was like "and we put, uh, Shatterstar on this side when we flip a coin. HEADS OR TAILS, MOTHERFUCKERS!"

Plus you can blame it for One More Day. If Peter hadn't unmasked himself during Civil War, the whole clusterfuck would've never happened, Aunt May would have never gotten shot, and deals with the devil would never be regarded as more moral than divorce. Oh Quesada.

And aside from Civil War being a stupid, stupid clusterfuck of...er, stupid, it seems like ever since then, they've wanted to beat Tony with the Misery Stick. You'd think they sat around at the conference table, (twiddling and twirling their evil mustaches because _obviously), _thinking about how they could take Tony Stark and punish him for the stupid stuff _they made him do. _

Also fuck you too, Ultimates. That's another reason. But that's for later.

Anyways, so Tony's life? A miserable clusterfuck of misery and pain. For real. It's like, from the time Steve bit it until, like, six months ago, tops, his entire life was a hellhole. I mean, shit, the fact that he got out of bed in the mornings is testament to some serious brass, right there.

And I have a soft spot for him. I like Tony- not Der Eisenfuhrer, just regular ol' jerkbutt with a heart of gold extraordinaire Tony Stark- and well...

I'm a yaoi fangirl. Bitch, you do the math.

So yeah, half-okay, more than half, I'm pretty sure they're all Steve/Tony-of these little ficlets are pure and simple schmoop-but after all that's happened to the poor guy, can't say he doesn't have it coming.

So there we come to the express purpose of these fics; Tony's life was-and on occasion, still is-miserable. I don't think someone - anyone - deserves what happened to him throughout the first half of the decade at Marvel.

Oh and to write hurt/comfort, but since most of you have read OGC, I suppose you should know this is a given by now, huh? ^^;

So there you have it, ladies and gents. This isn't going to be regularly updated, but it's just a series of ficlets that have Tony living a happy life, or at the very least, having a good boyfriend and people who care about him. Because everyone deserves that, but after severe character derailment, approximately a year and a half of his best friend/boyfriend being dead, and everyone in the world seemingly hating him...well, Tony deserves it more than most.

Anyways, without further natter, I present fluff times infinity. (Great band name there!)

The fic, however, is set around the beginning of the new Avengers cartoon continuity-it's basically "Living Legend, as written by a fangirl." For what it's worth. Mind you, the continuity...eh. It's just a oneshot, don't get too iffy on it.

Also speaking of the Avengers cartoon DUDE STEVE BLUM IS THE RED SKULL NOTHING ELSE MATTERS.

Also, most of the others are going to be this way-also much shorter. Hell, this is a standalone on accident, because I was trying to pad, and it turned into a one shot, and this wouldn't have happened if "Living Legend" hadn't been "Bromance; the Episode!"

Whatever. There's more where this came from, sadly...^^;

Don't own the Avengers comics, don't own Tony Stark, don't own Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, et al, and if I was in charge of Marvel...oh, the things I would do.

Dedicated to everyone who's had a bad day and sold their marriage to the devil. We've all been there.)

* * *

><p>"And in his sleep, he dreamed of heroes."<p>

Tony Stark had always idolized Steve Rogers. It was plain and simple; the other boys could have their pin-ups and their school-yard politics. Tony was content with his gadgets and his fantasies.

He wanted to punch Bucky in the face for being so lucky. He would have killed to stand by Steve Rogers' side-okay, maybe only "severely crippled," all things considered, since he doubted Steve would accept him if he killed someone...but at ten years old, he really didn't consider that option much.

At any rate, there were times where it seemed like the whole world wanted to fall into pieces around his ears, and all he had to rely on was the ideal of Captain America. It got lonely sometimes, being a teenage weapons expert.

Sometimes he wondered, as he poured his heart out over a new design, if Steve Rogers-the man, the myth, the legend, the person Tony had developed a crush on sometime back in eighth grade that he had never really let go of-would approve. In his heart, he knew that no, the weapons he developed wouldn't be looked on kindly by a man that had shielded the world from danger, not actively encouraged it...

But in his mind he had the desire to create. And unfortunately, in his hands, creation led to war.

Tony had redeemed himself. He knew that. Oh yes, he did; he had worked his ass off to make himself a hero, and if nothing else, the public seemed to think so. Even if Hank occasionally gave him a few sideways glances at his ideas. Hank was like an insect Jesus- Tony wasn't quite at that level yet, thank you very much.

So it was with a hero's gait that he stepped out onto the ice and met the frozen visage of Steve Rogers.

And it was with a fanboy's excited shriek that he reached out and brushed his fingers against Steve's cheek, under six feet of solid ice.

Thankfully, the other Avengers either pretended they hadn't heard it, or were very good at quietly snickering, because they helped him load Steve onto the jet - hell, they even let him sit beside Cap, fidgeting with excitement the entire time as he waited for the ice to melt.

It was all he had ever wanted. His whole world had been made to convene on this point. Literally all he had dared dreamed of was lying on a steel table beneath him, asleep and dreaming of the ones who had fallen before him.

"Steve Rogers." Tony murmured. "My hero."

Yes, Steve was his hero-everything he stood for was everything Tony strived to attain, to champion, to exemplify...

Which is probably why it hurt so much to see Steve wake up and after emitting a hysterical, panicked shriek of "BUCKY!", promptly punch him in the face.

Tony staggered, hissing with pain as Steve grabbed his shield. He couldn't stop the thrill of excited, boyish delight as he saw it, and his face lit up as he was promptly confronted with the whirling discus of death.

He needed to reconsider his childhood heroes, he mused, as he was chucked out of his own jet almost effortlessly, left to battle on the island of lady liberty. They seemed to be just as horrible as his dad could have been.

"Where have you taken me? What in god's name is this? What did you do to Bucky? Please, god- Bucky, give me Bucky back- if this is the Skull's doing, I'll - I'll -" Steve was sputtering, ranting, eyes half-mad as the world shifted and twirled all around him, trying to find a niche for the man lost in time.

"Please stop." Tony said. He was in no way sure of where the words were coming from inside him, but he had stopped caring at this point. Steve wasn't a madman. Steve was just scared. "Please stop...you're my hero. Please."

He was being far too honest with a man he had just met. Tony did not get dates by pouring on the awkward child within him, he could tell you that.

But it worked.

Steve turned around to face him. Steve actually looked at him, and met his eyes-and they widened, shocked. He padded over to Tony- graceful, gentle, delicate, like a lion half-asleep, and knelt down to help him stand up. Tony allowed himself to squeal-just a little, and only on the inside, as Steve held his hand and supported him.

"I'm sorry." He murmured. "Who...who are you?"

Tony shivered and grinned weakly.

"Uh, hey. Tony Stark. Great to meet you." He said. "I'm an Avenger. I...I'm a hero." He sighed. "Steve, we have some explaining to do..."

* * *

><p>"Oh no. Ohh, no. This is your problem, Tony." Jan said cheerfully, leaning back in her chair as Tony stared in horror at her.<p>

"You're kidding me, right? You're going to make me go up there- _alone_, mind you- and explain to the only man I ever really respected that he's been chucked forty years into the future and everyone he loved is dead? What the hell? I thought we were a team!" He whined. Jan snorted.

"You've been giving him goo-goo eyes since we got him back in the jet and got him home. God, Tony, he took your hand when he needed help getting out of the jet and I thought you were going to completely sell off your shame and jump his bones right there! Just go talk to him!" She snapped. Behind her, Bruce and Hank were giggling most unhelpfully into their cups of coffee.

"Okay, for one thing-the two of you? Not helping." He snapped. "For two...Jan, you can't _do_ this to me!" He wailed. "He's gonna think I'm_ uncool_!"

Jan rolled her eyes and started pushing him upstairs.

"What are you, five? God, if you shriek any louder, he's gonna find out anyway!" She reminded him. That shut Tony up immediately, and Jan sighed with relief. "Look, Tony. You're the team leader. It's best if you meet him anyway."

"Okay. You're right. I'm the leader. And as the leader, I order you to go up there." He said, eyes lighting up as he discovered his way out. Jan just rolled her eyes and pushed him up the last flight of steps.

"HEY STEVE!" She roared. "TONY WANTS TO TALK TO YOU!"

With that, she shrunk down so fast Tony couldn't reach out and snap her neck, flitting downstairs and cackling maniacally all the while.

Tony was going to get Bruce to try on her clothes and then piss him off. Dealing with the Hulk was fair enough if Jan's clothes were ruined too.

Regardless of his elaborate revenge fantasies, Steve Rogers was standing in the hallway, eyes still jumbled up with confusion as he looked at Tony.

"Uh, hey." Tony said, becoming more and more aware of the fact that he was in what amounted to a Tron-themed pair of footie pajamas. "I...I'm just gonna get dressed. My room's right down the hall. Be with you in a sec!"

He bolted before Steve could respond, muttering softly to himself under his breath, "Great. Now if you're really lucky, he's going to think of you naked, and then he won't want to talk. Smooth."

...

Tony threw on a dress shirt and slacks over his bodysuit with the ease of someone who had spent a lot of time changing in and out of costume. He mused that Steve probably had the same ease and skill before he choked that thought dead. The slacks would hide the evidence of that train of thought better than the Tron-pajamas, but even so...

He shook his head and groaned, heading back down the hall and knocking on Steve's door.

"Come in." Steve responded. Tony bit his lip to hide the shudder that voice sent through his body before he opened the door and stepped into Steve's room.

"Hey." He said. "Tried to make it as...er, homey as possible. I hope I succeeded-I can barely keep my own room looking like someone lives in it, what with all the time I spend in the lab, but, uh, I tried-cause it's you and all, so, y'know-"

"Bucky's dead." Steve said shortly. "I asked this...robot...computer of yours. He told me Bucky has been dead since the war."

Tony winced. He was going to have to have a talk with JARVIS about tact.

"Yes." He answered, trying to be honest. "He did die, as far as the records show...but hey, they said the same thing about you, right?" Tony offered. He was hoping it would cheer Steve up. It didn't.

"I lost everything." Steve said, tears suddenly welling up in his eyes as Tony immediately panicked at the display of emotion. "Everyone I ever loved- every_thing_ I ever loved -is dead. And that...that's supposed to be a consolation? That I lived? What god is cruel enough to make a man live after the world has stopped needing him?"

"Don't say you're not needed." Tony snapped. He didn't know why that, of all things, had flared him up, but it had. "Christ, Steve, you're the one man in the world I always wanted fighting by my side!"

He wasn't sure when this had devolved into a hero-worship fest, but from the looks of it, it appeared to be within the second sentence. That was a new record for him.

"Steve Rogers." Tony said, letting his tongue savor the sounds of his name for a second. It was whole, it was real, and it was _right. _"Oh, Steve. The world will always need people like you."

"But I..." Steve blinked. "I...the war...Tony, I don't have a place in this world. It's as simple as that."

Tony overcame his delight over Steve having said his name rather quickly-quick enough that he was putting his hand on Steve's shoulder and observing the New York skyline without dissolving into a puddle of glee.

"Oh yes you do." Tony said. "You have a place here; if you want it, I mean. We're...heroes. Mind you, we're not exactly this super awesome team of superfriends, but hey." Tony swallowed. "Your place in the world could be beside us. Beside me."

Why he was flirting with a man who probably assumed gay just meant happy was really beyond Tony. He had stopped caring the second he'd gotten a good look at Steve's muscles without the costume hindering his view.

...Yep, he was probably going to hell.

"I don't...I don't know." Steve said. "I just woke up from...well, one heck of a nap...and I..." He shook his head. "I got Bucky killed. Who's to say I won't get you killed either?"

"I've got a suit of armor that fires lasers." Tony remarked dryly. "Give me a little credit- I'm packing a hell of a lot more heat than Bucky did."

Steve laughed. He actually laughed, and Tony felt his heart melt into mush at the sound.

"Oh, oh no." Steve said. "I'm going- I'm going to die for laughing at that, aren't I? I'm so sorry. I...oh, Tony, that's _terrible_!" He said, but there was no malice in his voice, and he was still laughing. Tony just shrugged.

"It's true." He sighed. "You can't spend the rest of your life not getting close to anybody just because you think that it'll kill them." He said. "Believe me, I know the feeling. But you know what? There are hundreds-thousands-probably millions of people that would take that chance. Because you're needed. Because you're wanted. Because you're a hero." His voice dropped to a low murmur and a lump grew in his throat. "Because you're_ my_ hero."

Steve was quiet as he watched him.

"You meant what you said, you mean?" He finally asked. "Down by the harbor."

"Of course!" Tony snapped, like he was offended Steve could doubt his love. "You were all I had as a kid! You were everything I aspired to be! You were my hero! My idol! My first crush!" He paused. "I probably should've stopped talking before I said that."

Steve just laughed softly, like Tony's heart hadn't skipped a beat and plummeted into his stomach acids.

"Are you always this open with people?" He asked.

"Oh, Jesus Christ, no, I'm a _horrible_ person." Tony said. "God, you should see me when I meet with shareholders. I think I give them nightmares."

He needed to shut his mouth. Why wouldn't Steve just clamp his hand over his mouth or something? He was digging his grave here.

"I don't think a "horrible person" would offer me a spot on their team after trying to comfort me in the midst of a great loss." Steve said gently. "Tony, I _know_ horrible people. I have seen plenty. But I have also seen plenty of good men. And you, Tony Stark..." He leaned in, and Tony almost fainted. Thankfully, Steve just brushed a loose lock of hair away from his forehead, otherwise he might have exploded. "You are a good man." He finished.

It really was his childhood dream come true. Tony could have cried. Fortunately, his dignity had not abandoned him quite yet. Perhaps a few more press conferences while wearing the Tron-jammies. Then they could talk.

"I...I try." He said, still a little choked up. "I tried because of you."

Steve nodded.

The two sat in silence for awhile, just watching the streets and skyscrapers around them.

Then Steve stood up and clasped his hand on Tony's shoulder, using his free hand to ruffle Tony's hair affectionately, as if they had known each other forever.

"Well, for a man that tried so hard to be a hero, for my sake..." Steve murmured. "...I suppose I owe him my allegiance." He grinned. "All right, Tony. You've got yourself an Avenger."

Tony was going to be a responsible, proud adult male in this situation. He was going to be a dignified person. He was going to keep his cool.

He threw himself into Steve's arms and hugged him so tight that he was grateful he wasn't the one with super strength.

Screw dignity. Being a fanboy had been what had gotten Steve to join the Avengers, and he was sticking to it.

"Don't worry." He said. "We won't let you down."

As he pulled away, a blush spilling across his cheeks as he realized he was going to have to leash himself or something until he learned how to deal with being around a hero, Tony felt the ground rumbling and shaking underneath them.

"Jeez, I thought the earth wasn't supposed to move until the honeymoon! Getting a little forward, are we, Tony?" Jan called up the steps as Tony fumed and sputtered, Steve simply looking confused as Jan laughed. "C'mon! There's trouble a-brewin', and they need Earth's mightiest heroes on the double!"

"You-you jerk! And after what you just said- why I oughta let you and Hank go at it alone- " Tony was bickering with her as he tore off his shirt and exposed the Tron-jammies, managing to hop out of his slacks semi-gracefully as he summoned the armor. Steve stared at him for a long, slow minute, before he just sighed and went to get changed quickly, grabbing his shield in the process.

"Are you always like this?" Steve remarked dryly as Tony bolted down the steps. He actually stared at Steve in awe.

"Did you just make a joke? Huh. I was pretty sure humor was only invented in the eighties." He shot back. Steve rolled his eyes.

"And I wasn't even sure humanity was going to _survive_ that long, so we're even." He retorted. Tony actually started laughing.

"Ugh, I've known you for an hour, tops, and I'm already becoming a horrible influence. That's just great." He groaned. Steve shrugged.

"If by that you mean "giving me a new purpose in life," then I'm pretty sure you can influence me all you like." He said innocently, unaware of Tony's heart stopping for a second again. (The reactor was going into overdrive today, it seemed.)

"You're killing him, Cap." Hank remarked, flitting past them on an ant with Jan by his side. Tony sputtered.

"Oh, hush!" He snapped. "C'mon, blob monsters at the bay, people, we've...eh, apparently we've got a living B-movie to deal with!" He said. "Avengers! Assemble!"

Steve just smiled and did his best to keep up.

After all, Tony had said he had wanted a hero...

And for Tony, Steve was perfectly willing to live up to the legend.


End file.
